Love Song
by Indigo Callahan
Summary: A Can't Hold Us one-shot. It's Valentine's Day, a holiday to celebrate love and togetherness. But for the Autobots, Optimus especially, it confuses the hell out of them. A holiday to celebrate love? What made it different compared to any other day? But, of course, the Autobots were at least willing to learn what they could on it.


_Promise me that you'll leave the light on_  
 _To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone_  
 _'cause I believe there's a way you can love me because I say_

 _I won't write you a love song_  
 _'cause you asked for it_  
 _'cause you need one you see_

-Love Song; **by Sara Bareilles**

* * *

"You doing anything for Valentine's Day?" Lily looked up at Lennox in confusion. It was February 14th, the infamous holiday of love. Practically every person who was dating or married were talking about what they'd be doing with their significant others. Lennox and Epps were going to dinner and a movie respectively. Graham, who lived with a long term girlfriend, would be staying indoors, not feeling up to going out after a long day at work. So many people were brimming with the possibilities of how their evening could go down. Lily, on the other hand, was a bit surprised she'd be asked a question like that. Ever since she and Optimus started going steady, the subject of Valentine's Day was never really brought up – of course, Prime had no idea what the holiday _was_ , so that was another reason it was never mentioned. Lily just assumed she'd be having another normal day.

"Uhm, not much," she responded, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "I've never mentioned it to Optimus, I didn't think it was important."

Lennox's brows shot up. "You haven't told the big man yet?" he exclaimed. "I would've thought..."

Lily shook her head, a humorless chuckle escaping her lips. "I've never been one to really care for Valentine's Day," she said. "A few of my exes managed to make me care for it even less, so I never really celebrated."

"Makes sense." A thought popped into the older soldier's head. "I should probably be heading out, though. I promised Sarah I'd be home soon for our date."

"Have fun. Make good choices." A smirk came across the young woman's face.

"You're hilarious."

 **-0-0-0-0-**

Optimus was... _confused_. He couldn't understand why there was such an uproar over February 14th. The _Valentine's_ _Day_ was supposedly a holiday commemorating love, but Prime couldn't wrap his mind around it. Why was there a single designated day for love? For showing significant others their love and appreciation? On Cybertron, such emotions were expressed daily to their partners. What was so special about _Valentine's_ _Day_ , anyway? It seemed as though humans had some kind of celebration for everything, and Prime couldn't make heads or tails of it. He'd tried researching it, and it seemed the holiday's origins were darker than he initially thought. In each telling of the day, it ended with a man named Valentine being slaughtered. It was rather violent, and it worried Optimus that humans would be perfectly fine glorifying such a thing. Even the other Autobots were frazzled over it.

"I swear to Primus, I've never hated a day as much as this," Ironhide had grumbled. "Humans know how to blow _any_ thing out of proportion. It's a holiday about murder, and they interpret it to be about love."

"You have to understand that humans are still somewhat naive," Ratchet would respond. "Their young nature makes them unaware of certain things, and I suppose this holiday's origins have been lost to them over the centuries."

Optimus, on the other hand, was still very confused. Ratchet and Ironhide tried rationalizing their own interpretations of the holiday. Hell, there was even a ComLink received by Bumblebee about how Sam and Mikaela were happily celebrating the day. The scout seemed rather uncomfortable with the amount of romantic gestures that seemed to be going on, but he knew he had to deal with it. Bumblebee was Sam's main source of transportation, which meant he had to deal with a _lot_ of the couple's activities. Prime could try and come up with his own theories and conclusions, but he came up with nothing useful. Humans made anything with some kind of relevance into a celebration. He had to acknowledge that they were still a young race with so much to learn. They'd have to come to some kind of realization one day, right?

"Optimus!" The leader's attention was immediately drawn to Lennox, who was jogging over to him. Prime knelt down on one knee, looking at his companion worriedly. "Listen, I don't have long to talk, but I think I have a suggestion for you."

"A... _suggestion_?" Prime rumbled, his voice laced with uncertainty and bewilderment.

"For Lily," Lennox went on, "for today. She doesn't really care for Valentine's Day, and I take it some past experiences made it worse. I think if you did something spectacular, it could make her like today a little more."

"I must admit, I don't really understand the importance of this Valentine's Day." Optimus frowned slightly, sounding a little unsure. "Why do humans designate one day per year to show their partner affection? Especially on a day that signifies a man's death?"

Lennox's brows furrowed. "Death?" he murmured. Shaking his head, threw a startled look Prime's way. "Let me guess, you did a little research?" When he nodded, the soldier let out a huff of air. "Look, regardless of its origins, today is supposed to be about spoiling your partner. Having an entire day to show them you love them may seem a bit extreme, but that's just how it is here."

Optimus' frown seemed to deepen. "Humans seem to have a celebration for everything," he commented, hoping he didn't come off as rude. "It still baffles me."

With a chuckle, the human soldier nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I guess we do," he muttered. "But that's beside the point. Lily needs a bit of affection today. You're her partner, right? Give her something to remember."

 **-0-0-0-0-**

Lily, after her little talk with Lennox, chose to go to her room to have a little alone time. She would've loved to have gone out and socialize some more, but everyone was so busy with their plans that she didn't want to intrude. Not only that, but the Autobots seemed to be overloaded with all kinds of work. Ratchet had to update the medical records of everyone on base on top of keeping all the military machinery operational. Ironhide was working on upgrading his own weapons while making sure every soldier had a functional gun, blaster, missile, etc. And Optimus, ever the leader, was making sure that everyone under his care was up to standard in regards to health – both physical and mental – that every form of work – paper or online – was finished and sent to the higher officials, and to keep an eye out for any Decepticon threat. It had been relatively quiet, which was unsettling but also relieving. Less threats meant more moments of peace. The downside to that way of thinking, sadly, meant that the pending dangers of a future Decepticon attack could happen at any given moment.

For Lily, however, she'd been called in by Epps to help on a 'Con mission in Thailand. She chose to stay for a little longer, just in case something happened. While it wasn't necessary, it was accepted with much gratitude. Lily was well-known in N.E.S.T., having made a reputation for herself in the years she helped the Autobots. While she wasn't one to like spotlights on her, she did appreciate the bits of attention she received. It made her feel important – at least to a certain degree. But on holidays like Valentine's Day, she was more than willing to step out of their little spotlight and let everyone focus on their families. She didn't want to interfere in anything like that. And the perks of being left alone for an entire day meant that she could catch up with all her old friends. After N.E.S.T. relocated to D.C., Lily had to say goodbye to all the friends and family she had back home. It was sad, but it was something she had to deal with. Working with the Autobots meant she'd be doing something good, but it also interrupted the normality she was desperately trying to cling to.

All those thoughts were suddenly shattered at the sound of someone knocking on Lily's door. She froze for a second, as if she hadn't heard it correctly, but when it happened again, she frowned. Maybe it was someone looking for advice on what to get a girlfriend – it wasn't the first time anyone asked her questions like that. In all honesty, Lily felt she was the _last_ person _anyone_ should be looking to for advice, but she couldn't turn them down. So, walking over to her closed door, the young woman was surprised to see Optimus' Holoform. He took it upon himself to wear a nice white button up shirt with black pants. It was a nice, casual outfit that seemed both natural for him, and a little out of character. Optimus, when activating the Holoform, rarely ever dressed nicely unless it was completely necessary, but that didn't mean he wouldn't present the Holoform in a respectable fashion.

"What's with the get up?" Lily asked, confusion etched on her face.

"I was informed by Lennox that I should 'treat' you today." Optimus' shoulders were squared, his voice leaving little room for argument. It was obvious the advice Lennox provided earlier stuck with Prime; but it still made Lily feel a bit of confusion.

" _Treat_?" she said. "What do you mean _treat_?"

"This Valentine's Day," he responded, "it's about showing affection for your partner, yes? I was informed that I should do something 'spectacular' to make you enjoy the holiday."

Immediately, Lily groaned. She instantly regretted telling Lennox about her general dislike for the holiday. The one thing Lily just couldn't understand is why he felt the need to involve other people in things she didn't care for. He may have thought he was helping her, but it felt intrusive.

"Optimus, don't worry about some stupid holiday, OK?" Lily scoffed. "Valentine's Day is a bit overrated, in my opinion. Besides, I bet you've got a lot of work to do."

With a shake of his head, Prime set his jaw. "I do agree with Lennox that I should be able to treat you," he said firmly. "I feel as though I've failed you as a partner."

"Don't say that. You've been doing wonderfully, you've just been busy with work."

"That shouldn't be an excuse."

Gently placing her hands on Optimus' shoulders, Lily smiled up at him. "You don't need to treat me," she said. "I don't know what Lennox suggested to you, but don't listen to him. I'm fine without all the flowers and expensive nonsense."

There was a brief silence before Optimus spoke up. "You don't want flowers?" he asked, his voice a lower rumble.

"I don't really think they're necessary."

"I'd informed Ironhide to go retrieve flowers – roses. From what I understand, roses are associated with love."

" _Ironhide_ getting roses?" Lily snickered. "That'll be a sight to see."

Optimus gently removed Lily's hands from his shoulders, his bright blue eyes studying her carefully. Lennox had been confident that the young woman be exposed to the best Valentine's Day experience ever, but the idea didn't seem to be working. Lily was stubborn, unwilling anyone do anything sentimental for her. Whatever experiences she had in the past must have been very significant if it left that kind of impact on her.

"If you don't require me to do anything for you, then what should we do?" Optimus asked, feeling a little awkward in that moment.

Lily smiled, touched by his dedication to at least _try_ something. "Are you busy with reports or anything?" With a simple shake of his head, the young woman nodded in response. "Why don't we just spend time together in a less romantic fashion?" she suggested. His brows furrowed at that. "Just spend time with me. We don't have to do anything extraordinary. All I need is your company. We can talk, drink, _sleep_ – I don't care."

"Are you positive?" Optimus asked.

"One-hundred percent." A small smirk came across Lily's face. "I'll still take those flowers from Ironhide, though, just to see the look on his face."

A small smile came across Optimus' face at that. Lily's relationship with Ironhide was akin to that of siblings, both of them looking for ways to playfully make fun of the other, point out things they did wrong but with no malice behind it. Optimus found their relationship to be heartwarming, feeling pleased that his soldiers and girlfriend got along so well.

"If that is what you wish," he stated calmly, his voice low and rumbling.

With a smile replacing her smirk, Lily nodded in response. Maybe she'd actually experience a good Valentine's Day for a change.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **Too long of a wait for a one-shot I'm not pleased with. Either way, I hope you guys found something at least decent in this. Also, I'm hoping you guys had a nice and safe Valentine's Day. Hopefully you guys didn't do anything too reckless.**

 **Nothing in the TRANSFORMERS universe belongs to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, PM me and I'll get to it as fast as I can. For those of you who have ideas for my story CAN'T HOLD US, you can review on that story, this one, or just message me your thoughts.**

 **On that note, I know it's been a long time since I've updated CAN'T HOLD US, but I want you guys to know I haven't forgotten about it. School and work has been kicking my ass lately, so I've been putting it off so I can focus on everything else. But once Valentine's Day rolled around, I felt I should at least do something in regards to it. That and this one-shot was suggested by reviewers, so...**

 **Anyway, I don't even know if you guys understand what I'm trying to say. It's close to three in the morning where I'm at and I'm very sleep deprived.**

 **Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and make good choices, my dudes.**

 **Many blessings,**

 **Indigo Callahan**


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